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GUEST COLUMN: #MeToo and the non-profit world

Will Coggin, Guest columnist
Published 5:17 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2018

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 25: An activist holds a #MeToo sign during a news conference on a Title IX lawsuit outside the Department of Education January 25, 2018 in Washington, DC. Anti-sexual harassment groups held a news conference to announce a "landmark lawsuit against the Trump Administration over Title IX" and the "unconstitutional Title IX policy harming student survivors of sexual violence and harassment." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775109045 ORIG FILE ID: 910224306(Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)

When the first stories of rampant sexual harassment leaked out of Hollywood, the allegations were shocking, but perhaps not surprising. After all, Hollywood has always been a world of its own, where sex and drugs have a prominent role. Similarly, Washington D.C. has long been a den of power for entrenched politicians with young interns, so a few sleazy Congressmen is not terribly surprising.

But sexual misconduct allegations have now spread to places we’d hope were pure: Charities, organizations that exist to help the vulnerable. It’s vital that nonprofits handle these allegations appropriately—and that the public withhold donations from those that don’t.

A new investigation reports on alleged misconduct at Oxfam, a global mega-charity based in the UK with offices in America that claims to fight social injustice. According to investigators, senior Oxfam workers in Haiti following the 2011 earthquake had an orgy with local prostitutes, including potentially underage women—a fact the charity covered up. The charity denies the cover-up but said it dismissed several workers.

Last month, the American Red Cross found itself embroiled in controversy when journalists reported that its general counsel had ensured that a former executive, who had been pushed out for sexual harassment, landed at another charity, without reporting the misconduct. The controversy over the handling led to the resignation of the general counsel and a full mea culpa from the organization.

While these two groups appear to have taken some steps to show regret and make amends, the recent reaction of the leadership of America’s largest animal rights charity to sexual harassment allegations created a whole new scandal in itself.

In December, the Humane Society of the United States’ governing board hired a law firm to investigate complaints of sexual harassment against its CEO, Wayne Pacelle. The investigation found three women had levied credible charges of sexual harassment against him, and several more had been given settlements for retaliatory actions stemming from reporting misbehavior. News also broke that a longtime vice president had faced similar charges in 2016, but had been allowed to continue as a vice president of a different department. (The Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with local humane societies that run pet shelters.)

The governing board, despite this evidence, shockingly voted in January to retain the CEO and to close the investigation — despite more women continuing to come forward with claims of abuse. One board member even outrageously challenged, “Which red-blooded male hasn’t sexually harassed somebody?"

The uproar was immediate. A quarter of the board resigned in protest and several large donors withdrew their support. A day later, the CEO finally resigned. Yet both the CEO’s statement of resignation and that of the board of directors, refused to make any apology whatsoever.

There are some lessons for both the public and for nonprofits in these recent scandals.

First, doubling down in the face of “Me Too,” as the Humane Society of the United States board did, is simply unwise. The board, which is chaired by a senior outside attorney, chose to close the investigation into its CEO, hoping to cut down on more sleazy stories becoming public. Nonprofits should be transparent and seek all the facts.

Second, organizations and leadership should reject the temptation to sweep things under the rug to protect the organization. According to Red Cross staffers, an internal investigation into the executive accused of harassment did not interview several witnesses and officials seems more interested in protecting the organization. Dealing with problems directly is much better than letting a cover-up fester.

Third, the public should hold misbehaving organizations accountable with their checkbooks. Donors may be tempted to excuse charity misbehavior by noting that the organizations do good for people or animals. There are plenty of alternative charities that do the same work but that don’t have distracting scandals.

It’s a sad irony when organizations charged with protecting people or animals can’t even protect their own staff. As charities face a reckoning with #MeToo, it will ultimately be up to donors to hold them accountable.

Will Coggin is the managing director at the Center for Consumer Freedom.